


Who's Your Mate Drabbles

by zarrati



Series: Who's Your Mate Universe [2]
Category: Parks and Recreation
Genre: Alternate Universe - Online Dating, F/M, Missing Scenes, Who's Your Mate universe, drabbles and one shots
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-16
Updated: 2016-10-10
Packaged: 2018-08-09 04:09:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7786231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zarrati/pseuds/zarrati
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of non-sequential drabbles set in the Who's Your Mate Universe</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Anniversary

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for your continued love and support of this AU. Please feel free to prompt more drabbles over on tumblr @benwyattforcongress

Ben wakes up to feather-soft kisses on his cheek and a far off voice saying his name. Except the voice isn’t so far off, and it’s now getting louder and louder in his ear.

“Beeeeeen. Wake up, sleepyhead.”

He groans and his eyes open in tiny slits to look at the clock.

“Leslie, it’s 4:27 in the morning.”

She rolls her eyes and bounces on her knees on the mattress. “I know that, silly. But today is a special day, and I can’t help it.”

Maybe it’s the sleep deprivation, but Ben honestly has no idea what Leslie is even talking about. It’s not anyone’s birthday, and he doesn’t remember Leslie telling him about any special meeting or anything. It’s a Tueday. Nothing important ever happens on a Tuesday.

“Babe, I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about.”

She sighs and stops bouncing. “I knew I should have just made the calendar,” she mutters to herself. “Ben, I can’t believe you didn’t remember. It’s our anniversary!”

Wait, what? Anniversary for what? Even if you count the first time they became a couple, that’s still months away. This time last year they hadn’t even-- 

_ Oh. _

“Is it--is today the anniversary of when you wrote to me?”

“Yes! See, you didn’t completely forget.”

Wow. Has it already been a year? He almost can’t believe it, but at the same time, has it  _ only _ been a year. It seems like this year went by too fast and yet he feels like he’s been with Leslie forever. 

“Well, technically the actual anniversary isn’t until 2:27 this afternoon,” Leslie continues, “but that’s not important. What is important is that one year ago today, beautiful and wonderful Ann Perkins helped me make a dating site profile and I got matched with you. I asked her if she wanted to celebrate with us since we have her to thank, but she said that it’d be weird.”

“Uhm, yeah,” Ben replies, clearing the sleep from his throat, “just a little bit weird.”

“Well, you’re here and that’s all that matters. Oh, I can give you your gift now.”

Gift? He shouldn’t be surprised because she literally has a holiday and gift for everything, but he still is.

He grabs her by the waist just as she’s about to jump off of the bed, and rolls her beneath him.

“Ben,” she giggles as she weakly tries to push him off of her. “Let me go.”

“Nope,” he mumbles, his lips now pressed against the skin of her neck.

“But I want to get you your gift.”

“I thought you were my gift ‘cuz you’re the only gift I’m willing to wake up at 4:30 in the morning for.”

“No--well yes, but also no. I have something else for you, too, and it’s--”

A moan slips past her lips when he sucks on her pulse point, and he does his best to suppress a smile. 

“You were saying?”

She huffs. “I forgot, and don’t act so smug. That was your plan all along. Don’t think that I don’t know that you’re trying to distract me because you don’t have a present for me.”

Ben’s hand slides up beneath her t-shirt, and he can feel the goosebumps on her skin. “You know me well. But I still have a few tricks up my sleeve. How about I take you to JJ’s for breakfast and then I make us a reservation for dinner tonight. I’ll still make today memorable. You don’t have to worry about that.”

Leslie sat up just enough to pull the shirt over her head before pulling him back to her.

“I’m not worried one bit.”


	2. Henry and Amelia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> During the government shutdown, Ben pays a visit to his brother and new niece.

Ben needed this. He needed to get away from Pawnee and slashing budgets and Chris and--

_ Leslie _ .

He needed to get away from her most of all. 

It was just so hard, the emotions still so raw and fresh. They had reached some form of a truce, but he still felt terrible. She was considered essential now, so he couldn’t escape her even during a government shutdown.

So when Henry called Ben on the verge of tears--the happiest kind of tears-- and told him that he had a niece, Ben took him and Tracy up on their offer for a visit.

“Wow,” Ben said when Henry placed baby Amelia into his arms, “she’s so tiny and perfect.”

“Isn’t she?” Henry answered in that voice laced with fatherly pride. Ben thought it was a good look for his brother.

“Hi, Amelia. It’s your Uncle Ben. I’m the one that’s going to spoil you rotten and hype you up on sugar whenever I come visit and then give you back to your daddy for him to deal with.”

“Gee, thanks,” Henry laughed, but his smile faded slowly. “So, how are you doing? You know, with everything.”

“It’s fine.”

“Ben...Don’t lie to me.”

“Okay, it’s...not fine.” He didn’t take his eyes off of his niece. “I mean, Leslie and I kind of have truce going. Like, we apologized and everything, but we think it’s for the best that we don’t pursue a relationship until after I’m done working in Pawnee.”

“You both think that or just you?”

Ben sighed. “What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean, Ben. Is this really what’s best for your relationship or what’s best for you and your fear of commitment.”

“I don’t have a fear of commitment.”

“No, you just have a fear of committing to someone you might actually care about.You have to let this go, man, and--”

“And what? It already backfired. We almost didn’t even make up as friends. You don’t understand what it’s like doing what I do and you definitely don’t know Leslie. Trust me, it won’t work. Not now at least.”

“But you care about her.”

“Yes. And if it wasn’t for this whole messed up situation, I could see a future with her. But that’s not how it is right now and I just have to get over that. We both do. Trust me, I know what I’m doing.”

“No, man, I really don’t think you do, but I won’t push. I get it. It’s your life and you do what you feel is best. I’ve just seen you punish yourself for so long, and I don’t want you to miss out on something great because of it.”

Ben ran a finger over the soft skin of Amelia’s cheek. “I know. But I need to do this for her as much as for me.”

Henry sighed and stood up. “Whatever you say, man. Want me to take her?”

Ben kept a tight hold on his niece, trying not to think that up until a few weeks ago, he could see himself having this with Leslie.

“No, it’s okay. I want to hold her for just a bit longer.”


	3. The Offer

Leslie sits in stunned silence, and not out of respect for the dearly departed Li’l Sebastian, either.

Her ears are still ringing. City Council? They want her to run for city council? Is this really even happening?

Leslie jumps when she feels a soft touch on her back.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” Ben says, taking a seat next to her. “You okay? It’s okay if you want to cry about Li’l Sebastian again.”

“Huh? Oh, no. It’s not that. Uhm, can I talk to you about something?”

“Yeah, of course. Anything.”

She plays with her fingers on the table. “So, I was just approached by some people who wanted to let me know what a great job that I did. And, well, they sort of made me an offer.”

“Offer? What do you mean? Like a job?”

“Sort of? They think I have a shot of winning a city council seat this upcoming year. They want me to run and represent me.”

His eyes go wide. “Wait, seriously? That’s--that’s amazing!” He pulls her in for a hug. “Honey, I’m so proud of you. I mean, you’re wanting to do it right?”

“Yes? I mean, this is my dream, right? And they asked about potential scandals and I told them about us, but they seemed to think that since Chris knows and you can’t directly oversee my department that it shouldn’t be a problem. Oh my god. This might actually happen.”

“If you want this, then I am behind you ten thousand percent. Anything that you need. If you run, you’re going to win this thing.”

She bites her lip. “You think so?”

“I  _ know _ so. You’ve been making campaign speeches in your sleep since we got together. This is what you were meant for, sweetheart. And I’m going to be there every step of the way.”

She gives him a tight hug because words right now aren’t enough to portray what she feels inside. This could be the start of the biggest break in her career--in her life.

“Uhm, so I guess I’ll tell them that I’ll do it. Wow, I’m gonna run for City Council.”

“I’m going to be dating a Councilwoman. Very sexy.” He stands and pulls Leslie up with him. “Come on. Let’s finish cleaning everything up then head home. We have to celebrate.”

Leslie’s not sure she could do this without him, and she’s grateful that she won’t ever have to.


End file.
